Our new son...

 

Andrew Maxwell was born on March 18.

 

  

  

 We are now a family of six.

Jenny and Drew were discharged this afternoon and we are enjoying life at home!  More updates/pics to follow.  Thanks for checking in on us.  We feel extremely blessed.

Baby Drew is Almost Here!

We have a scheduled c-section for this upcoming Monday, the 18th to deliver our sweet baby boy, Andrew Maxwell Sullivan. I know in an earlier post we said we were going to wait to find out what we were having....well, we changed our mind. In my past experiences with carrying the older two kids, I have always waited to know the gender but I have to say it has been fun knowing ahead of time as well. It has been especially exciting to talk about "him" with the older kids and to get to plan all the little details. There has been so much joy over the last 9 months as we have all talked about what it will be like to add another member to our family. We are beyond excited. One thing I have always wanted to do with past pregnancies was to take a series of belly pictures to show the baby's growth over time. Admittedly I have never been very good about it in the past. Considering this will be my last pregnancy (at least that is my plan), I realize that I better capture the moments that I want because this will probably be my last opportunity. So, here is what we've caught on film so far and of course I had to include one of my favorite maternity tops...my Aggie shirt pic on the end. I've got to try to influence Drew early, right?

 

My last ultrasound was two weeks ago and at that time Baby Drew was estimated to weigh in at 6 pounds 11 ounces. Based on that estimate, he should arrive at 7 pounds 15 ounces on Monday. It will be interesting to see how close the estimate was. If you would have asked me a couple of months ago what I would have personally estimated, I would have told you he was at least 12 pounds if he was an ounce because of how stretched and distended my belly felt, but the doctor did tell me 2 weeks ago that I was carrying a larger amount of amniotic fluid which would explain the extra feeling of heaviness and discomfort. Poor Drew, I was blaming him this whole time. Based on this profile pic, I think this baby boy is going to look just like his handsome daddy. Drew has his Daddy's profile...almost exactly! He has his forehead, his brow structure and even his nose. (With one exception...we think his little lips look a lot like Uncle Jon's) I have also really enjoying planning for this baby...it was extremely fun this time to work on his nursery. I had to knock some dust off my sewing machine to finish this project (I think it had been at least 6 years since I had used the machine)...but it was well worth it. With Brady's help, we selected the fabric and colors that we liked and then with the assistence of Marie Bobalik and Paula Carothers, I got to make all of his customized bedding and room decor. Brady, being a lover of neutrals would have preferred that I had selected all brown bedding (BORING!), but I worked to stretch him a bit by showing him about 20 different room ideas and he ended up picking basically the same patterns and colors that Matt & Reecie had used in Baby Kate's room. Pregnancy cravings: grapefruit and grapefruit juice, coffee (weird, since I have NEVER liked it in the past..but only for a few months because now in the last couple of months I don't really want it anymore...strange, oatmeal, smoothies, and CARROTS (I cannot get enough of these...I think I eat 3-10 on average each day...I'm surprised my skin hasn't turned orange). Mood swings: I guess Brady will have to confirm this but I don't think I have been extra emotinal this pregnancy...with the exception of weeks 32 & 33 where I would cry at just about anything...a youtube video about a dog and an elephant who were friends...I cried A LOT over that one! Favorite parts: I LOVE feeling Drew's movements and it has been neat watching the kids' reactions as Drew kicks them as they touch on my belly. I have not been able to see the movements of the babies as well in my last pregnancies but this time I can even see when Drew has the hiccups. I can even feel his little legs and feet with my fingers when he shifts around. Challenges: I had a lot more nausea in the first trimester with this baby...I have had MUCH more trouble with REFLUX at night when I lay down to sleep...and I also developed 2 hernias with this pregnancy (which I am really hoping will go away as soon as I deliver Drew).

Babymoon Trip to Hawaii

In January Brady and I took an incredible trip to Hawaii for our Babymoon. We spent 3 and a half days on the island of Oahu and then another 4 on Maui.  Oahu was nice, but Maui proved to be our absolute favorite. While many vacation spots boast beautiful views and incredible sights, Hawaii far exheeded my expectations and has been my all-time favorite vacation that I have ever taken. Being an outdoor kind of girl, I absolutely LOVED the climate, the scenary, the wildlife, the peaceful attitude of the locals, the food (I love seafood!), and the sand. We were about to walk about 20 yards from our hotel room and sit on the beach that provided consistent views of the migrating humpback whales jumping in and out of the water.  There was even an occasional sea turtle that would swim up to the shore line so that we could walk up and get in the water with him.  It was amazing. While we were gone Brady and I talked about what it would take to move and live on Maui. After 8 days we still felt we could have stayed just a few more although, I'm not sure what G.G. and Papa would have thought about our plan considering they stayed back to take care of the three kiddos while we were gone.

 

 

 

 

Our snorkeling adventure: Hanauma bay on Oahu

 

 

 

Yummy shaved ice!

 

 

 

I love waterfalls so this was one of my favorite hikes but "BURR" that water was freezing!

Hawaii boasted numerous incredible sunsets that we could observe each night from our hotel room patio.

 

 

 

I could barely catch a glimpse of my toes at this point...that ever-growing belly was beginning to obstruct my view.

Ahh...seafood.  So many good meals.

 

Christmas Comparison

Brady and I couldn't believe how much the kids had changed in a year's time.

Update

Brady & I enjoyed a couple of days on our own this weekend.  Nonnie & Granddad very kindly came in from Fort Worth so that we could take a little time for ourselves.  First, we got up on Saturday morning at 5am to drive to Canyon Lake to participate in the Annual Joint Base San Antonio Rambler 120, a bike/run/raft relay event.  We were participating with several friends from Brady's squadron.  Brady rode the entire 22 miles for the bike event, then he and I ran 3 miles as a part of the second leg relay, then we joined the second leg relay for a 1 mile raft.  We had a super time and really enjoyed ourselves.  Our team of eight did great and out of 37 teams we ended up placing 1st in our division.

 

 

Following the Rambler, we drove to Houston.  Our main purpose for the drive was to make an important vehicle change by selling my much loved Prius.  A few months ago Brady & I decided to sell the Prius to get one of these instead....

We chose to expand our vehicle seating options to help support

...our expanding family.

Baby Sullivan is scheduled to arrive mid-March.  We are not going to find out the gender ahead of delivery and we are very excited to welcome this sweet new baby girl or boy into the world.

It has been especially fun sharing this experience with the other three children.  Having "older" children to share in the joy has been one of my favorite parts.  It is funny to see their eyes widen as they recognize the fast growth of my belly.  They have opinions on name selection and even share thoughts on how they will help with the baby after he or she arrives.  Kaelyn's first name selection for the baby was first name, "Little", middle name, "Me".  Chloe's selection was "Chala"...the name she often gives her baby dolls. Needless to say, we are still brainstorming name options.